CVN screenshot of plaintiff attorney Donald Migliori delivering his opening statement in the recent jury trial
Santa Fe, NM - Social media giant Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, faces a trial starting Monday in New Mexico state court over claims that alleged lack of safety protections for children on the platforms pose a public nuisance to the community, and the full trial will be webcast and recorded gavel-to-gavel by Courtroom View Network.
Monday’s non-jury trial before First Judicial District Judge Bryan Biedscheid follows a landmark $375 million verdict delivered by a Santa Fe jury earlier this year in a civil trial also recorded by CVN accusing Meta of violating New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act by withholding critical information from the public about levels of sexual exploitation on the platforms and their negative impacts on teens’ mental health.
Meta has vowed an appeal, and the company recently stated court-ordered changes sought by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez in the upcoming trial such as limits on “scrolling time” or access during school hours could force Meta to block access to Facebook and Instagram throughout the state, teeing up significant stakes for both Meta and other social media platforms as attorneys general throughout the country explore similar litigation.
CVN’s coverage will include both a live, real-time video feed of all public arguments and testimony that is also available for unlimited on-demand replay. Please click here to contact CVN directly for information on individual and group-rate subscriptions.
Torrez issued a statement heading into the trial suggesting the relief he seeks could set the standard for other states moving forward.
“On May 4, we will seek the strongest child safety protections ever proposed against a social media company — and we will ask this court to order Meta to comply,” Torrez stated.
Torrez says he will seek an injunction at the trial's conclusion to “fundamentally restructure how Meta operates for children.” Restrictions would include not displaying the number of likes and shares on posts by minors, requiring minor accounts to be set to “private” by default and to set an overall 90 hour monthly cap on use.
Meta has balked at the proposed changes, both in court filings and in statements to the media.
“While it is not in Meta’s interests to do so, if a workable solution to Attorney General Torrez’s demands is not reached, we may have no choice but to remove access to its platforms for users in New Mexico entirely,” the company stated.
CVN’s coverage will commence with the start of Monday’s opening statements and continue for the duration of the proceedings.
Email David Siegel at dsiegel@cvn.com
